Crescent moon was spotted on the evening of Sunday 10 March
It’s officially the very first day of Ramadan across the UAE as the Moon-sighting committee spotted the Hilal moon on Sunday evening (10 March).
The announcement signals the first day of fasting on Monday 11 March across the UAE.
The holy month of Ramdan will last 30 days and the faithful will fast from dawn till sunset each day, starting their fast with Suhoor and breaking it with Iftar.
The abstention from eating and drinking is intended to last from dawn until dusk throughout the 30-day period.
غداً "الاثنين" أول أيام شهر #رمضان المبارك في #الإمارات pic.twitter.com/FU5mFb0Zbr
— وكالة أنباء الإمارات (@wamnews) March 10, 2024
It will be the first time since the year 2000 that Ramadan has begun in wintertime.
Based on the fact Ramadan starts today means that we can all look forward to a holiday when Eid al Fitr falls on Wednesday 10 April, which means a long weekend for most of us.
You might also like: RAMADAN 2024: All the best suhoors in Abu Dhabi this Holy Month
Reduced working hours
The announcement of the first day of Ramadan also heralds in a changes across the country.
Working hours are now reduced for both the public and private sectors across the UAE.
The UAE’s Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) has officially announced working hours for federal entities during the holy month of Ramadan.
According to the circular, the official working hours for ministries and federal authorities will be from 9am to 2.30pm from Monday to Thursday, and 9am to midday on Friday.
For those in the private sector, the working day is reduced by two hours a day, according to the UAE Labour law, whether or not employees are Muslim and fasting or not.
And since it is the first day of Ramadan, Team Yalla would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Ramadan kareem.
For more Ramadan news and stories, visit Yalla Abu Dhabi
